8 March, International Womens’ Day

It’s time for women and the working class to organise and emancipate.

International Women’s Day is a day when the women’s movement around the world celebrates social, political and other achievements of women. It is also a good day for women to take a closer look at the oppression that flourishes through the double bondage of capitalism and patriarchy, and which is still an unfortunate and undeniable reality for the majority of women today.

Women’s oppression has lots of forms, perhaps a sexist boss, partner or a comrade. As anarchists we have a lot of work to do before there is equality in gender and sexual relations, both in our own lives and in the wider community of which we are a part.

The struggle for female emancipation belongs to militant self-organising women. Women’s struggle against the patriarchy must has to be both anti-state and anti-capitalist. State, capital and patriarchy nourish one another by supporting bosses who exploit women and fragment women’s resistance.

Mobilisations on 8 March, like those on other days, must challenge empty liberal notions of gender equality within a generalised system of inequality. This is a day of resistance against all forms of oppression.

In the regions of Turkey and Kurdistan women are participating in a long struggle against the fascistic Turkish regime, against theocratic totalitarianism of the so-called “Islamic State” and against patriarchy. The revolution in the autonomous regions of Kurdistan, despite misgivings about the implications of the alliance of the YPG-YPJ with US imperialism, is a living example of militant self-organisation of women for social autonomy.

We call on working women all over the world to join this fight, to make this day a day of resistance. We honour the murdered women whose bodies were dragged in the streets as trophies of the enemy.

The women in Kurdistan inspire us in our struggle here and everywhere for emancipation and freedom.